Deadlock over Brookie facelift

WARRINGAH Council is split down the middle over how it should proceed with a review into Brookvale Oval and even 2 1/2 hours of heated debate on Tuesday couldn’t resolve the division.

A multi-storey commercial development could earn rent to pay for the upkeep of the stadium.

What started with a rescission motion ended with another rescission motion that will be debated at its next meeting in a fortnight.
In between were 10 amendments and two motions, interspersed with dozens of interjections.
The council staff have put forward three options that cover the full spectrum of possibilities for the future of Brookvale Park.
At one extreme is the demolition of the stadium to create a large park.
At the other extreme is a multi-storey commercial development that could earn rent to pay for the upkeep of the stadium.
The middle option is to maintain it as is.
But between the two extremes are any number of options the community could suggest, each of which would be evaluated for its desirability and feasibility before the councillors vote on the various choices.
One group of five councillors - Vincent De Luca, Christina Kirsch, Virginia Laugesen, Michelle Ray and Conny Harris - want council staff to look at all suggestions made in previous years, a process that could take months, before letting the community have its say.
The other five councillors - Michael Regan, Jason Falinski, Julie Sutton, Helen Wilkins and Bob Giltinan - want the community to have its say sooner, based on a briefer survey of suggestions.
Every vote ended with a 5-5 split, forcing Cr Regan to use his casting vote as mayor to vote in favour of seeking the community’s suggestions sooner, rather than later.
However a rescission motion has been lodged and the matter will be debated again in a fortnight.